TEMPE, ARIZ. (March 2, 2023) ‒ The IFMA Greater Phoenix Chapter held the first live meeting in almost three years of its Arizona Government Facilities Alliance (AGFA) Group.
AGFA was the brainchild of Linda Zarrella, the former Facilities Management Director with the City of Scottsdale. Zarrella passed away in 2020, but left a legacy not only in her work at Scottsdale and with IFMA, but her passion and efforts with AGFA.
AGFA struggled for a couple of years. There was always interest, but without someone to take the helm, it simmered away quietly in the background. Last year the group started to show signs of life. With support from people such as Charlie Bladine and Dawn Holst, both with the City of Tempe, the group began to build momentum again.
“We couldn’t be more proud and excited about the resurgence of our AGFA Group,” said IFMA Greater Phoenix Chapter President Marshall MacFarlane. “This group provides a genuine value to facilities workers in all government sectors. To see such a great turnout at the meeting is a testament to the work done by folks like Dawn and our chapter board. We want to be a chapter that provides something for everybody and this effort certainly represents that.”
The February meeting featured a packed house with more than 40 participants, MacFarlane said. The topic was asset management, with several speakers and a number of relevant subjects relating to the main topic. Several chapter members also attended.
AGFA is a group that welcomes facilities managers and their staff to a quarterly meeting that offers networking and information sharing on facilities management topics.
“In addition to the ‘regular’ trials and responsibilities that private sector facilities managers experience, public sector facilities managers face unique challenges, particularly in the realms of finance and budget, asset management, deferred maintenance, and more,” MacFarlane said.
To participate in AGFA, those interested do not need to be a member of IFMA. They just need to be a facilities management employee in the municipal, county, state, federal, tribal, military, school board, higher learning, or other “government” sector.
For more information contact Holst, City of Tempe Facilities Administrative Assistant, at (480) 350-8286 or Dawn_Holst@tempe.gov. The Greater Phoenix Chapter of IFMA also has information on AGFA at ifmaphoenix.org.
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About IFMA
Founded in 1980, IFMA is the world’s largest and most widely recognized international association for facility management professionals, supporting more than 24,000 members in 105 countries. The association’s members, represented in 134 chapters and 17 councils worldwide, manage more than 37 billion square feet of property and annually purchase more than $100 billion in products and services. IFMA certifies facility managers, conducts research, provides educational programs and produces World Workplace, the world’s largest facility management conference and exposition.
The Greater Phoenix Chapter of IFMA, formed in 1985, is one of the top association chapters in the world and the winner of IFMA’s Large Chapter of the Year in 2012. It is dedicated to the continuous improvement of the facility management profession by providing relevant educational and networking opportunities for its members while supporting the community as a whole. For more information about the Phoenix chapter ifmaphoenix.org.